Buyer’s Market : Crenshaw Shoppers Line Up to Get in 1st Major Store Built Since Watts Riots Fueled White Flight

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — Thousands of shoppers are braving lines just to get into the first major grocery store to be built in South Los Angeles since the economic devastation following the 1965 Watts riot.

The stylish new Lucky market at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, which opened April 2, attracted so many customers during its first weekend that security guards were needed to direct traffic in the parking lot. Customers on foot were not only waiting in line to get to a cash register, but to get inside the store.

“It is the largest opening in the company’s history,” said Don Keprta, Lucky’s district manager. “We thought it was going to be big, but this is really big. We have received a lot of community support.”

Lucky officials did not disclose how much money they have taken in at the new store.

Store officials handed out colorful carnations to customers and apologized for the inconvenience of the long lines, promising that things would be better once the initial enthusiasm settled down.

But despite the wait, customer Louise Lester was enthused about the freshly stocked 43,000-square-foot store complete with bakery, pharmacy, floral and fresh seafood departments.

“People complain that the line is too long,” she said, “but I’ll stand in line if it’s for something better.”

And, she continued, “This is something better, and I choose to stand in line for it.”

The new Lucky store has already ignited a heated competition with Quality Foods International, a chain that operates four Boys Markets stores in a two-square-mile radius of the mall.

Lucky is the first supermarket chain other than Boys to open a new store in the Crenshaw community since the 1965 Watts riot spurred white flight. Although the Crenshaw area is miles from Watts, it also was affected by white flight.

In the past, other chains shunned the area, citing the high cost of insurance, security problems and the unavailability of sites large enough to build today’s modern markets.

Boys was the only major chain of markets that stayed in the area. Although residents have praised Boys for its loyalty to the area, they have also criticized the store for charging higher prices.

On the weekend of the Lucky opening, the parking lot at the Boys supermarket at Crenshaw Boulevard and Rodeo Road also was full of shoppers seeking to cash in on a sale marking the one-year anniversary of the extensive renovation of the 40-year-old store. Banners and signs proclaimed better buys at Boys than Lucky.

“Competition is what it’s all about,” said Benjamin Taylor, a professional gourmet chef who was wheeling a cart full of groceries in the Boys parking lot. “Now we have two stores to choose from and there will be less of a chance that one will take us for granted.”

Residents made clear their desire for another supermarket chain from which to choose by vigorously opposing a bid by Quality Foods to build a market on the Crenshaw site.

Officials at Lucky, who were initially skeptical about the notion of opening a supermarket on the plaza grounds, changed their minds when they were swamped with requests that were the result of a letter-writing campaign and petition drive organized by City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

Galanter was on hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. “Today we end the era of supermarket flight from the southern part of Los Angeles and begin the era of supermarket return,” she told the crowd. “Now the community will have a choice in price and location when shopping for food without having to drive for miles.”

Many residents, unhappy with their lack of choice, traveled out of the area to shop for food. Irene Booker, who had to wait in line along with all the other Lucky customers last weekend, said she didn’t mind because she had previously gone to Culver City or Ladera Heights to shop for groceries. “Having a choice of stores is more important,” she said.

The Lucky opening comes at the same time that another major grocery chain has been scouting the nearby Santa Barbara Plaza shopping center as a possible location for a giant supermarket. Representatives of Smith’s Food & Drug Centers of Salt Lake City have approached Mayor Tom Bradley and Galanter expressing interest. But that project is years away from a deal.

Officials at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza are hoping that the influx of Lucky customers will have a positive impact on business inside the mall.

“We are extremely happy with the response,” said Leo Ray-Lynch, the mall’s manager. “We hope it will carry over to the remainder of the plaza.”

At present, he added, the only major worry is whether shoppers will get too frustrated with the crowds. “After the initial excitement wears off, the parking will not be as congested,” he said.

At one point on Saturday, lines stretched the length of the store, making customers a bit testy.

Queenie Anthony, who had waited 45 minutes, didn’t much like the wait, but she didn’t give up her place in line. “This is hectic,” she snapped. “But I’ll be back next week.”

The crowds have been so big that Lucky had to bring in workers from other stores to keep the shelves stocked, Keprta said. There are 21 people working in the meat department alone, at least until things settle down.

Galanter said that the store’s initial success has gotten Lucky officials to thinking about opening more stores in the city’s underserved urban center. She said she referred store officials to Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose 8th Council District also has a shortage of supermarkets.